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How to escape correctly (successfuly)

Hi everyone,
Today I've got a question regarding the "art of escaping". I can imagine that there are certain aspects (special tactics/techniques) in this field.
timing:
o escaping before you are actually in the middle of something
o escaping after the opponent is distracted/incapacitated
escape route:
o knowing where to run (home?, police station??)
o knowing which way to run without being trapped
Heavy crowded places like a mall would be my choice to shake off potential pursuers.
circumstances:
o escape from a single opponent
o escaping a whole bunch of opponents
o escaping together with allies/beloved ones
success:
o when is an escape ruled a success
o is it about distance alone or is it about a certain time (maybe they try to find me)

Or is it just about turning around and running away?
I am currious about how you consider/practise/drill escapes.
Regards Holger

The key to me is to drill it live as much as possible. Practise delivering rapid pre-emptive shots to multiple targets to create space (while never turning your back on a un-hit enemy); practise hitting multiple targets on the move while never fixing your potation or attention on any one target for more than a split second; practise breaking free and running to “safe zones”; practise protecting others from groups; etc, etc.

We often hear martial arts instructors endorse “running away”, but it is a skill that needs practised and developed and lip service simply won’t cut it. By drilling it live people gain actual experience of the techniques and tactics that work and those that do not. We need to run as many scenarios as possible so if people ever do find themselves in this station they have the training and experience to do the right thing.

o escaping before you are actually in the middle of something
definitely - the sooner the better. Escape isn't just about running away - it ties in with Avoidance and the sooner you can make a decision to avoid a confrontation, the more options you have and the more relaxed and calmly you can do it.
wait too late and you are running for your life - spot things early and you can simply walk in a different direction, etc

o escaping after the opponent is distracted/incapacitated
Escape should always be your aim whether you are in the midst of a fight or before it>

You are fighting for your life and you are fighting to create a moment of opportunity to escape - you are NOT fighting to win!
escape route:
o knowing where to run (home?, police station??)
To know where to run you need to remain aware of your surroundings before the confrontation occurs, so you already have a plan of action in place at any moment in time.
No point running up a dead end - cos now you're still going to have to fight and you'll be out of breath!
Running home is not necessarily a good choice as you give away where you live - compounding your security problems.
better to run to public, crowded areas, police stations, near to security (you'll have obviously made note of such people whilst being aware)
Then if you ask for help - ask for it calmly so people don't think you're the crazy one :-)

o knowing which way to run without being trapped
Awareness - knowing your environment, etc etc
Heavy crowded places like a mall would be my choice to shake off potential pursuers.

circumstances:
o escape from a single opponent
o escaping a whole bunch of opponents
o escaping together with allies/beloved ones

As I said, escape if your main aim regardless of the number of opponents - but you need to know your limitations and that of those around you>

For example, you may decide to stay and fight and give your loved ones time to get away as they may not be able to run as fast as you
You may be injured yourself and need to know that running away would be fruitless anyway
success:
o when is an escape ruled a success
o is it about distance alone or is it about a certain time (maybe they try to find me)
Not sure how to answer this one - I guess if you end up hiding out somewhere while you're attackers are trying to hunt you down - not sure how you could measure when your escape strategy was successful
Not sure how often this would be the case to be honest either - don't tend to see too many brawls where the attackers continue in pursuit of their victim for miles and miles, running around a town or the streets, etc

Personally, if I made it out of the altercation in one piece, then that is a successful escape